1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to kits and bulkhead assemblies to divide or partition a cargo area from a driver area in a cargo vehicle.
2. Background Art
The driver compartment of a cargo vehicle can be viewed as the forward portion of the cargo compartment of the vehicle in which seats are installed. So configured, the driver and any passenger are exposed to relatively high noise levels. The heating and, if so equipped, air conditioning, can be problematic inasmuch as typically only the driver and passenger area must be heated or air conditioned, but because the interior of the van is open, the entire interior of the van will load the heating or cooling system. Frequently such systems are incapable of handling the heating or cooling load of the entire vehicle.
Unsecured cargo may move about the interior of the van and hit the driver's and passenger's seats or their occupants. During a panic stop, motion of unsecured cargo can be both significant and problematic.
Cargo vehicles, such as commercial vans and the like, typically have a bulkhead separating the driver and passenger space from the cargo space. Bulkheads separate the driver and passenger space from the cargo space by extending from one side of the vehicle to the other and from the floor of the vehicle to the ceiling. Bulkheads typically consist of a one-piece sheet metal design, but could also be a multi-piece assembly such that two large stampings spot welded together form a box beam where the upper and lower portions overlap. Plywood and high strength plastics have also been used for bulkheads. Bulkheads also often have a portion cut out near the top so as to serve as a window for the driver to see into the cargo space and beyond the rear of the vehicle via use of the rearview mirror.
Many workers use specialized tools and equipment in performing their daily tasks. Because many job sites are away from the job shop, any tools and equipment needed must be transported to the job site. A worker typically requires a vehicle large enough to accommodate the tools, equipment and supplies required at the job site. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a problem associated with such vehicles is that there is typically not a huge amount of space in such vehicles. Electricians, telephone repairers, cable installers, and plumbers must carry an assortment of tools, fasteners, pipes and other supplies to be adequately prepared to complete a job or service call. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that it would be highly desirable to have a vehicle with a maximum amount of cargo area for tools, supplies and equipment so that a worker can efficiently transport the required items to the job site.
FIG. 2 shows a wire frame shelving system and a prior art bulkhead assembly within a cargo van.
The following U.S. patent documents disclose various bulkheads for vehicles: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,069,497; 5,080,416; 5,246,261; 5,357,143; 6,142,550; 6,357,979; 6,474,713; 6,877,940; and 2003/0141731.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,318,614 discloses a bulkhead assembly for a vehicle comprising a first panel adjacent and substantially perpendicular to a street-side wall of the vehicle, a second panel adjacent and substantially perpendicular to a curb-side wall of the vehicle, and a door panel disposed between the first and second panels. Support or attachment brackets attach the assembly the vehicle. The door panel is hingedly attached to one of the first and second panels. The hinge is created via cylinder-shaped projections that extend from and are integral with an edge of one panel and cylinder-like projections that extend from and are integral with a hinged edge of the door panel. Each of the projections include a slot. The cylinder projections are positioned to fit in between or adjacent cylinder projections on the panel. A hinge pin is inserted through slots of the cylinder projections to hingedly connect the door panel to the panel. The door panel may be hingedly connected to one of the panels by a separate hinge assembly that is individually fastened to each of the door panel and one of the first or second panels. Other hinge structures such as several discrete hinges or a piano hinge may be used.
These additional steps and materials add to the cost and time to manufacture the bulkhead assembly. Further, if any part of the bulkhead assembly is non-recyclable it must be removed before the assembly is recycled.
Due to increasing federal environmental regulations and decreasing availability of landfill space, there is increased interest in recycling post-consumer products such as vehicle interior trim panels. Unfortunately, many conventional vehicle interior articles are formed from non-recyclable materials such as thermosetting resins, which cannot be re-melted and reused.
Thus, there is a need for recyclable vehicle interior articles that have durable, tough surfaces, that are impervious to water and most chemicals, and that are designed to be scratch and mar resistant. In addition, there is a need for recyclable vehicle interior articles that can reduce external noises (e.g., road noise, engine noise, vibrations, etc.), as well as noises emanating from within passenger or cargo compartments, while also being lightweight and low in cost. U.S. Pat. No. 6,710,133 discloses a vehicle interior article including a layer of recyclable polymeric material.
One type of recyclable, lightweight, high-strength, composite material or article comprises a “honeycombed” cellular core positioned between two thermoplastic skins reinforced with glass and polypropylene. Polypropylene is highly regarded for its heat and chemical resistance as well as for its ability to withstand wear and tear. The thermoplastic skins, tough and meltable for reuse, have a degree of elasticity between 5 and 20 GPa, depending on fiber content and orientation. The composite article typically ranges in thickness between 5 and 30 mm. Its weight ranges from 1700 to 6000 g/m2, depending on skin and core materials.
In contrast to more conventional thermoset resin composites, thermoplastics used in the composite article provide greater robustness due to their tougher matrix. They also offer enhanced formability and functional integration, consist of less expensive raw materials and can be processed faster. Also, living hinges (i.e., U.S. published application 2005/0189674) and deep draw shapes (i.e., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,682,675; 6,682,676; 6,790,026; and 6,981,863) can be made with the composite article while maintaining structural integrity.
Via thermocompression, production is a one-step process that takes approximately one minute (i.e., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,050,630 and 6,537,413). Simultaneous exposure to heat and pressure changes the “sandwich” to a thermoplastic composite, yielding high-strength-to-weight and high-stiffness-to-weight properties as well as a finished product that is highly resistant to heat, impact and corrosion.
Applications for such thermoplastic composite materials or articles include pallets (i.e., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,655,299; 6,748,876; and 6,823,803), vehicle load floors (i.e., U.S. Pat. No. 6,843,525), under-engine fairings (U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,577), inner roof panels (U.S. Pat. No. 6,890,023), trunk panels, backrests, aerodynamic skid plates, spare wheel pans, and front and rear vehicle bumpers.
One way to make the interior plastic cellular core or honeycomb part is to make the core from a plurality of small co-extruded tubes bonded to each other along their sides (i.e., U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,782). The small tubes have a base body made of a thermoplastic and which, at least on the outside, preferably on the outside and on the inside, carries a coating made of an adhesively-active thermoplastic material. As a result of this coating, a bonding of the small honeycomb tubes to each other as well as to a cover layer is possible.
Another way to make a plastic cellular or honeycomb part is to make the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic honeycomb in a continuous manner one half cell at a time by laying down a corrugated web of thermoplastic, with and without fiber-reinforcement atop a honeycomb, selectively fusing the node-antinode demes and repeating the process until a honeycomb of the desired depth is prepared (i.e., U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,596).
Yet still another way to make a plastic cellular or honeycomb part is to injection mold the honeycomb part in plastic (U.S. published application Nos. 2002/0043747 and 2004/0241383).